From Me To You
by TheKnightofAwesome
Summary: The U.G. has been rebuilt after the aftermath of the Game played by The Composer and The Conductor. Now a new story unfolds as the next Reaper's Game is scheduled to start.
1. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

**A/N: This was co-authored by one of my best friends, Herald of Prophecy. Honestly, he's the only one I would break my one rule with. Which is never let anyone have sway on what I write. It's been great plotting with you, Herald.**

The air was still in the Udagawa district of Shibuya. By itself, the streets were a little ordinary, but the large graffiti mural made the area stand out. There weren't a lot of people around, and Kota preferred that. He didn't _hate _people, but he was completely shy, and didn't know how to interact with strangers well. Kota was sitting under the CAT mural, using it for inspiration as he sketched in his drawing pad.

Kota was a huge fan of CAT. His art spoke to him, made him feel like he had the power to add his own unique flare to the world. Kota always said that if it weren't for CAT, he wouldn't have had the will to pick up a pencil and begin to draw. Since he began drawing those few years ago, it took quite some time, but over the years he managed to hone his skill with practice and patience, and his pieces received a lot of praise from anyone who took the time to look at them. Kota's greatest passion in life was to pick up a pencil and begin to sketch. He dreamed of one day being as renown as CAT. Maybe even one day meeting the real CAT.

After a few hours of drawing, Kota closed his sketchbook, stood up, and stretched.

"_I think that's enough for today," _he thought to himself. _"I should be getting back,"_ With his sketchbook tucked under his arm, he set off out of Udagawa, and off towards his family's home just off of Cat Street. It was a long walk, but he never got better inspiration than when he was sitting by the mural, so he thought it was worth it.

In actuality, he could draw anywhere he wanted to, but when he was looking at the graffiti, the ideas just seemed to flow out of him. It was so easy to be creative in the presence of genius.

Passing through the Scramble was always the worst. It was so crowded, and everyone was always in such a hurry. It was just a pain to Kota. He tended to get out of there as quickly as possible, and move on toward Cadoi City, just past the Shibu Department store. As he passed by Towa Records he checked his phone for the time. He gasped as he realized how late it was. His parents would be wondering where he had been. He broke into a run, heading toward the Miyashita Park Underpass. It was just a quick cut through the park, and he would be home.

As he rounded the corner to the Underpass, he collided with a boy. Kota fell backward, and his sketchbook went flying. There was a sound of plastic on concrete, and Kota looked up to see a pair of purple headphones had fallen by him. Looking farther, he saw the boy he had hit.

He was a skinny guy, with spiky orange hair, and a ridiculous purple shirt with a poufy collar, white shorts with odd pockets, and outrageous purple shoes. It was as if this guy had no fashion sense whatsoever. Kota honestly wondered how a trend sensitive town like Shibuya hadn't formed an angry mob against this kid before.

But then again, Kota wasn't one to talk, with his limp brown hair, and his not-so-impressive Mus Rattus threads. Today he was wearing his favorite worn out "M Cap". The yellow M had almost worn down to nothing, and reduced the hat to an almost fully dull brown cap. His yellow tee had paint smudges on it, which had cumulated over the years from his painting. The shirt also showed off his boney arms, and he had little to no muscle on his body at all. His jeans had become naturally distressed, as he wore them almost all the time. To complete his ridiculous look, he was wearing his beach sandals. He didn't care that he got funny looks, it was a comfy outfit and that's what mattered to him. He liked to dress casual, but he wasn't always trendy.

"Neku! Are you alright?" asked the girl standing next to the boy he had knocked over. She had short, brown hair that bobbed by the side of her face. She was wearing a green skirt, and a white blouse. Kota squinted, as the glare from her glasses kept him from seeing her eyes. They flashed in his face, forcing him to look away.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking…" muttered Kota to the boy.

"No, it's fine," he replied. "Just try to be more careful, people don't appreciate being knocked into like that," He was getting to his knees, looking around for something. Kota realized it was the headphones, so he picked them up, and handed them to him. The boy smiled, and picked up Kota's sketchbook, which had fallen by him. They both reached out to return the items to their rightful owners, trading off at the same time.

"Thanks," said Kota.

"No worries," replied the one supposedly named Neku. He got up, put the headphones around his neck, instead of over his ears, and walked off with the girl. Kota got up too, but looked back as Neku and the girl walked off in the opposite direction he was going.

"Wow, Neku. That was actually nice of you!" she said with a big grin.

"What? Is that not allowed, Shiki?" he retorted. She put her arm around his, and leaned against him, putting her head on his shoulder as they walked.

"No, it's wonderful to see you acting kind for a change," she said with a giggle.

Kota was transfixed by the two, he wasn't sure why. He just couldn't take his eyes away. Absentmindedly, he took a step forward, but was snapped back to reality by a honking horn. He turned to see the front of a car speeding towards him.

"Oh! Sh-" was all he managed to get out before he was struck. Kota flew threw the air, a lifeless form. He hit the ground hard, and crumpled like a rag doll. A small pool of blood began to form around where he landed.

It only took a few minutes for paramedics to arrive and pronounce him dead.

-  
Kota slowly opened his eyes, then squinted against the sudden white light. It took him a second to get used to the brightness of the white room. When his eyes adjusted, he got up into a sitting position and took in the area around him. The light made it hard to make out anything in the room, but Kota could clearly see there were a lot of other people there with him, a couple dozen if he had to guess. He didn't recognize any of them, not that he had many friends anyway. They all seemed just as confused as he was, some were even crying. Others were more terrified than anything else, visibly shivering. Nobody approached anyone, so it appeared as if they were all strangers to each other.

The question still remained, where was he? The last thing he remembered… the last thing was getting hit by a car. With a cold shiver, Kota realized he was dead, and that must make this place the afterlife. Kota did a quick inventory. He still had his bag, his art supplies, his sketchbook and his phone. So it looks like you _could _take it with you, as long as you were carrying it when you died.

Kota wanted to laugh at his little joke, but the situation was too disturbing for him to feel anything but complete fear.

Before Kota could say anything to any of the other dead people, a figure materialized in front of them all. It was a girl, a women actually, who looked roughly twenty. Her hair was an odd shade of pink, and her shirt sleeves covered her hands as well, as if they were gloves. It ruffled at the end, and just barely allowed her mini-shorts to be seen. Her black gothic wings should have been her strangest quality, and they certainly _did _stand out. However, even they paled in comparison to her devilish grin, and icy stare.

"Welcome to the Underground," she said addressing everybody. Everyone in the room had their full attention on the woman. She continued on. "You're all here for the same reason…You're all dead,"

"_So I was right…I'm really dead…" _Kota thought to himself in horror.

"But don't fret!" The woman continued in her mocking tone. "There's still a chance for you to go back to life!" Kota's ears perked up at that, everyone was hanging onto her words with baited breath. "All you have to do, is win The Reaper's Game,"

Kota had no idea what this woman was talking about. Just what was the Reapers Game, and how would winning bring him back?

"My name is Uzuki Yashiro, but you can, and _should_ call me The Conductor of The Reaper's Game," Everyone seemed to tense with every word she said. Kota certainly was. He had no idea what was happening, and he was beyond scared out of his mind.

"What's the Reaper's Game you ask?" she said. "Well, it's simple really! All you have to do is survive for one week in the Underground, or 'UG' as we call it, completing missions each day. But be warned, there are monsters in the UG that will try to finish you off, it's not going to be easy. So, I would find a partner, because you can't fight them without one. Once you have a partner, the monsters, also called the Noise, will leave you alone. It'll be up to you to decide if you want to fight them. If you die while fighting the Noise, you will be Erased. Also, keep in mind that Reapers will be patrolling the UG and will send Noise to attack you. "

"E-Erased?" a teenaged girl asked hesitantly, "What does that mean?"

"Excellent question!" Uzuki said with mock enthusiasm, "I want you all to imagine becoming nothing, becoming _less_ than nothing, being wiped from existence entirely," she began, causing the whole crowd to swallow nervously, "All that's left of you is bits of your soul floating around without thought or sentience, your only salvation being bound to a pin and probably used to make more Noise. _That_ is Erasure."

Uzuki let the crowd take this information sink in before continuing, "A player's power comes from the pins they wear, we will provide you with a few pins to start out with, you can collect more over the course of the week. One pin in particular is very important," As she said this she waved her hand, and a small burst of light erupted from every ones hands.

Kota looked down into his own hand. When the light faded, he saw a small black pin, with a white symbol. The symbol looked a little like a skull of some kind.

"This is the Player Pin, it signifies you are a certified Player in the Reaper's Game. And it comes with a special perk…when you touch it, you can scan, and read people's minds,"

Kota was legitimately shocked to hear that he could have this power. Or any power for that matter. It was all so hard to process. He was still wrapping his head around the idea that he was actually dead.

Then someone spoke out.

"And what if we don't want to play your stupid game?" asked a man angrily.

"I'm glad you asked!" replied Uzuki with an evil smile. "You don't get a choice! You've already been selected from the weaklings of the world. You don't think everyone who dies has the honor to play, do you? And it's not like we won't give you an incentive…besides the chance to live again. To enter the game, you must give an entry fee. The thing that is most important to you! Doesn't matter what it is! It's ours until the game is over!" Uzuki then spoke in a lower, more serious tone, "And if you think we don't have the power to take it away…think again."

Murmuring spread through the crowd.

"What happens to our entry fee if we lose?" asked a woman.

"It'll be Erased, just like you," said Uzuki with nonchalance. Her attitude was making Kota sick to his stomach. How could she treat human lives like this? In actuality, it probably didn't matter. Kota was being forced to play, and Erasure didn't sound like a good thing at all. On top of it, he wasn't going to be Erased _and _lose the thing that mattered most to him. He was suddenly determined to win, no matter the cost.

"And you want to know the best part?" continued Uzuki. "We won't tell you what your entry fee is! You have to figure it out for yourself, as ordered by The Composer of the Game Himself!"

Kota felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. How was he expected to play for something if he didn't know what he was playing for?

"Well, that's enough of this. It's time to start the week. Right…About…Now!" said Usuki. With a wave of her hand, everyone vanished in a flash of white light. As everything began to fade into light, Kota heard Uzuki yell something at the last moment, "Want some advice? Head to the Statue of Hachiko and pick up a partner! You can't do much without one!" With that last thought in his head, Kota was whisked away with everyone else into parts unknown.


	2. Chapter 2: Waking Dreams

In an instant, the light that had shown so brightly faded into darkness. Kota could feel his back pressed against something and his feet on the ground. It felt as though it took so much effort, but Kota managed to open his eyes, only to squint them when he was met with the bright sun.

Once his eyes finally adjusted, Kota looked around weakly. He could tell he was back in Shibuya; it looked like the Molco area. Kota looked behind him at what he was leaning on. It was a bright shade of red, about eight feet tall and made of metal. Kota could feel his strength beginning to return as he pushed himself off of his to get a better look. It looked familiar to Kota.

After some thinking, Kota finally placed the memory. It was a phone booth, one with an interesting urban legend surrounding it. 'The Phone Booth of Love' people called it, it was said that if you used it to confess to someone you loved them, that person would respond in kind. Kota had always thought it was a silly legend.

Kota put a hand to his head.

"_Was it just a dream?"_ he thought. He looked and saw he still had his bag with all his drawing supplies in it. Kota couldn't help but think about that strange and cruel woman taunting everyone who was dead, including him.

"_Dead…!"_ Kota realized as he looked down at his chest and started patting it, looking for any signs of blood or wounds. Finding none, he closed his eyes and started massaging his temple, _"That car hit me dead on, but I don't have a scratch on me…"_ He sighed in relief, _"Maybe it _was _just a dream."_ Despite these reassuring thoughts, one thing didn't add up, which Kota verbalized, "Then how did I get here?"

Kota turned back around and saw the people coming and going, but there weren't as many people as there usually were. It must've been a slow day at Molco. Then a thought occurred to Kota,

"Wait…What day _is_ it?" He said aloud to himself. Kota approached a girl that looked to be his age. "Excuse me, what day is it?" he asked. The girl didn't answer, she just kept walking along. "What? Hey!" Kota exclaimed, running ahead of her and looking at her, "What day is it?" he asked again, and, like before, the girl gave no answer, not even registering that Kota was there.

Frustrated, Kota ran up to another person and asked the same question, but still the person did not even acknowledge Kota's presence. Now more afraid than frustrated, Kota turned to face the crowd

"Hello?!" he yelled, but not a single person turned to him. Sweat began to form underneath Kota's cap, "What's going on?"

Just then, Kota felt something in his pocket. Kota reached in and withdrew several small metallic discs. Pins. They were all pins with various designs on them. One had an orange flame against a red background, another had yellow lightning bolts against a blue background. There were seven in total, but one stood out, and it sent a wave of coldest frost down Kota's spine. It was a white skull against a black backdrop.

Kota remembered something the woman said, Kota was pretty sure Uzuki was her name, "_This is the Player Pin, it signifies you are a certified Player in the Reaper's Game. And it comes with a special perk…when you touch it, you can scan, and read people's minds."_

Kota looked at the pin. Then, his hands shaking, he pressed his thumb against the skull. Instantly everything around Kota was covered in a dark blue hue and he was enveloped by voices, each one clamoring for his attention. It was too much to bear and Kota dropped the pin, which caused everything to revert back to normal.

Kota was breathing heavily to himself, the truth starting to sink in.

"I'm…I'm dead," he choked out, "I'm dead and…I'm playing a game that…that if I don't win I'll…I'll be erased?" Kota was still wrapping his head around that concept. He still didn't really understand what it meant to be 'erased,' all he knew was that he didn't want it to happen to him.

Kota looked at the skull pin on the ground, and it felt as though that skull was staring right back at him. Kota was morbidly curious, and slowly picked it back up and pressed it thumb against it again. Once again everything was enveloped in blue and the voices started pouring in. Kota closed his eyes and put his hands over his ears. He managed to open one eye and look around and seemed to notice that the voices were coming from the people around him, getting louder and softer and they walked by. Kota concentrated on one person, a boy his age who looked to be very angry, and suddenly the other voices became soft and dull as one voice became clear and louder, "I can't believe she just blew me off! I even went to the trouble of getting her that scarf she always wanted!" The voice rang out.

Then it clicked to Kota. The woman wasn't lying, these were really people's thoughts. Kota gained the courage to take his hands off his ears and focused on another person, then another and another. Each time, the other voices became dulled and quiet as that person's thoughts resounded in an echoing fashion.

Kota couldn't help but smile as he seemed to already master this newfound power in such a short time. This small celebration was cut short as he heard a scream ring out. Kota looked, noticing a man much older than him running through the streets perpendicular to his position. He was a good fifty feet away, but Kota could see that no one was turning to the man or helping him. Perhaps he was like Kota? But what could a dead person be running from?

Kota's question was answered when the man tripped and turned horrified at some unknown entity. A beast, wolf-like in appearance with fur that was bright white with the slightest hint of green with black markings appeared. The beast's tail and front legs were stranger still, as they were a purplish-blue and seemed to be almost ephemeral, they reminded Kota of the spray painted designs done by CAT.

It happened in only a moment. The creature pounced on the man and, instead of a grisly display of blood and flesh like Kota expected, the man's scream was cut short as he vanished in a flash of light.

Kota looked upon the display with shock and fear _"Is he dead?"_ he thought, _"No…He's erased."_ Kota couldn't ponder on it long, however, as the wolf creature turned in Kota's direction, causing Kota to stiffen in fear. It was a miracle as Kota was able to gather his thoughts, turn, and run away.

Kota dared not look back, but could hear the creature growling louder, getting closer, and Kota did his best to run faster. Kota couldn't keep it up, he wasn't exactly the most physically fit person, and just like the man, Kota tripped and fell. Kota turned to face his death with eyes wide open, even if they were stricken with fear. He would at least have the courage not to scream, although that was probably only because fear stripped him of his voice.

Kota braced for the end, but it never came, as Kota heard another person yell, not in fear, but more like a battle cry. The wolf was intercepted by a person who, with what looked like an electric guitar in his hands, swiped at the wolf. What was even stranger was the fact that Kota was sure that the guitar was glowing. Once the guitar made contact with the wolf, there was a flash and the wolf was blown backwards and slumped to the ground.

Kota managed to weakly get to his feet as he looked at the scene in wonder and awe. The person half turned his head to look at Kota with one dark brown eye. Now that Kota could see his face, Kota figured he must have been around his age, most likely a year or two older. His hair was jet black and tied in a ponytail which fell between his shoulder blades, "What're you doin'?" he asked hurriedly.

"H-huh?" Kota stammered in response.

"Where's your partner?" The boy asked.

Just then, Kota heard his cell phone ring. He also heard the other boy's phone ring. They both pulled out their cell phones and looked at the screen, which displayed a text message:

_Good morning Players. Today's mission is a simple one: find a partner and make your way to the 104 building. You have one hour. I regret to say that failure will result in erasure. I sincerely wish you all nothing but good luck and success._

_~The Game Master_

Right when Kota was finished reading the message, as if on cue, he felt a sharp pain in his right palm, to which he and the other boy responded with a grunt of pain and clutched their right hands.

They both looked at their palms and were shocked to see what appeared to be a timer imprinted on their hands. It was counting down from one hour, with bright red numbers that seemed to nearly glow, and the designs of the timers were almost gothic, with sharp points. It wasn't a hard concept for the boys to grasp, but they both looked at each other in shock.

The exchanged look was interrupted as they heard the growls of the wolf as it got to its feet. The boy with the guitar's face turned back to a battle-ready one and he held his guitar in a sort of fighting stance, holding the neck in his hands with the body upwards like it was a sword, "Go. This thing'll be no problem. My partner shouldn't be too far and is probably helping others out with the Noise. Get to Hachiko and find a partner!"

Noise. Kota remembered Uzuki mentioning something about that. That must've been what these monsters were.

"B-but…" Kota started to say.

"Do you wanna get erased on day one? Just do it!"

Kota didn't really want to ask anymore, so he just turned and ran. He was at the Scramble Crossing in just a moment and, not currently hesitating from the crowd, dashed right by everyone until that famous dog statue came into view. He saw a few more of the creatures around the park, all chasing down the other Players. There were a couple other of the wolf-like Noise, as well as another more numerous type. They could only be described as frog-like, with green skin and the same strange painted qualities for their back legs.

People were running in all directions, sometimes Kota saw two people quickly make an exchange of words and then were enveloped in light and began fighting back in all manners of ways. Kota saw people fire lightning from their palms, lift nearby objects with hand motions, he even saw one person's hands glow and then proceeded to beat down a Noise with his bare hands.

Kota snapped out of his people watching and began looking around panicked, "Find a partner. Find a partner." He reminded himself in a shaky voice. He could only see people running in the opposite direction away from the Noise. Suddenly he felt a tug near the bottom of his shirt.

Kota turned quickly, expecting to see a monster, but was met only with the soft, frightened eyes of a small girl. There were tears streaming down her face and her face was red from them,

"P-please mister…" she gasped, "I'm so s-scared! I-I need a partner! I don't want to...I don't wanna…" She buried her face in Kota's shirt for a moment before choking back a few more gasps and looked at Kota again, "Please…Would you be my p-partner?"

Kota was struck by the fact that a child was here. What tragedy have transpired that resulting in her death and brought her here? Yet here she was, asking for Kota to be her partner. Kota looked at the Noise and saw duos of people fighting back against them and remembered another thing Uzuki said, "I would find a partner, because you can't fight them without one." That's how it was done then. Once you had a partner you could fight, and that seemed to be the only option at the moment.

Kota turned back to the girl and got on his knee so he could look at her at eye level. He put his arms on her shoulders in an effort to calm her, "Yes. I'll be your partner."

Suddenly, Kota and the girl were surrounded in a bright light, with spheres of even brighter light floating around them. It forced Kota to close his eyes from the sheer intensity. Then Kota felt something in him, a sort of energy that gave him new vitality, and his eyes opened in response. Just as quickly as it happened, it ended. Kota and the girl then saw something glow in their pockets and retrieved pins out of them. Kota was holding the flame one while the girl was holding what appeared to be one with a white sphere against a sapphire background. Kota and the girl looked around them to see that many of the frog Noise had surrounded them and they all pounced at them in unison.

The girl let out a shriek, holding her pin close to her, and then she and Kota were encircled by a white field. As soon as the Noise hit it, there was a flash and they were thrown back, some vanished in something that seemed to be static. The girl and Kota looked around them in shock. When a wolf Noise tried to pounce on the girl and Kota immediately after, the girl held her pin close to her again, and once again they were surrounded by a white field of light that pushed the Noise back on contact.

The girl, having put two and two together, looked curiously at the pin, and decided to pin it to her shirt.

Kota then looked to his own pin. He clutched it tightly in his hand and then nervously put forward his free hand, which then produced a wall a flame about four feet tall a few feet in front of him where his hand was directed. Shocked, Kota's hand retreated and the flames were extinguished. Kota felt another hard tug near the bottom of his shirt and looked to see the little girl, who this time looked rather serious.

"The pins! The pins!" she shouted, giving a good hard tug with each sentence, "We're getting our power from the pins!"

Kota looked at the girl's pin on her shirt and he pinned the flame one on his belt. While it was on Kota's mind, he reached mindlessly in his pocket, which retrieved two more pins, the lightning bolt one and one with a yellow and one with what looked like a yellow and blue fireball against a white background and pinned them next to the other one.

A few more of the creatures began to slowly approach Kota and the girl. The girl grabbed Kota's shirt and stood closer to him fearfully. Kota looked at her and put a hand on her back, "Don't worry," he said nervously, which served little to calm her. Kota looked at the Noise and gulped apprehensively. _"Alright then,"_ he thought worriedly, _"Kill or be killed."_


	3. Chapter 3: Getting Our Hands Dirty

Kota's breath had become short as the Noise slowly closed in on him. The girl was clinging to his side, as if letting go would result in her demise. Kota swallowed again, mustering all the courage he could, "It's gonna be alright," he said to the girl.

The girl clung tighter to Kota, obviously still not convinced. _"I suppose actions speak louder than words,"_ he thought, and Kota nervously put his hand forward again.

Just like before, the small wall of flame came forth where his palm was facing, and the Noise retreated a bit. Kota, now starting to see the power he wielded, took a shaky step toward his foes and put his hand out with more force this time.

Kota noticed the wall of flame followed his hand's every movement, like it was an extension of his own body. However, there was a slight delay between when he moved his hand and when the fire would follow. It wasn't much, barely a second, but it was noticeable. He also felt the girl's clinging started to soften a bit, and she stared in wonder at the flame.

The Noise were now actively avoiding the fire, running from it, but trying to get around it to their prey. Kota responded by wildly flailing his hand around, trying to keep them all at bay. He tried to get the flame to hit the Noise, but it was like the recoil on a firearm, it was incredibly difficult for Kota to keep his arm steady, and thus the flame was irregular in its movements. With so many targets, it was all Kota could do to just flail his hand around to keep them all away.

The girl tugged on his shirt yet again, "I-I'll keep these ones off of you," she said, indicating the Noise behind Kota then pointed to the ones Kota was currently targeting, "Just t-try to focus of those ones."

Kota couldn't help but feel ashamed. This girl seemed braver than he was. What was more was that she seemed to know what she was doing, as whenever a Noise got near her, she would raise her hands and a small wall of light would appear and fend off the attack. However, after each time, Kota could see the girl starting to breath heavier and getting more exhausted.

Kota turned back to the Noise in front of him. He knew he had to start pulling his weight. Surely if this little girl could do this, then so could he. He outstretched his arm with more vigor this time and gave sharper movements with his hand, "Back! Back!" he yelled forcefully.

Though Kota looked brave, that was all that could be said of him, as the flames, though succeeding in fending off the attackers, never once hit the mark. The wall of fire was still shaking and didn't move in the same quick and sharp movements he had hoped for.

The wolf-like Noise continued to dodge and evade, but finally a stroke of luck occurred when one lost its footing and fell. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kota used his free hand to brace the arm he used to control the fire and moved it at the Noise. The flame, while not moving in a completely straight line, moved with much more purpose and dedication towards its target.

The flame got closer to its target, about to collide with it and…suddenly simmered out in an instant.

Kota stared wide-eyed in disbelief, "W-What?" he stammered out. He looked to the flame pin the power had come from on his belt. The once vibrant colors that made up the design had grayed out and become monochrome. This was unusual in itself, but then Kota noticed that the colors were ever-so-slowing returning to the pin, but not at a rate quick enough.

The Noise, realizing the threat of danger was gone, started to close in on Kota yet again. Panicking once again, Kota retreated back a few steps. _"That was my one line of defense,"_ he thought, _"My one line of defense and now it's gone…"_ Kota looked back at the girl, who was still busy fending off the Noise with that shield of hers. Her breathing had become heavier, but she didn't seem like she would keel over at any time.

Kota looked back in front of him again, the Noise snarling and bearing their teeth. Clearly, they were not happy about almost being barbeque. _"Think Kota, think!"_ Kota looked back at the flame pin, but the colors were still gone from it. Then Kota noticed the other pins. In a less dangerous situation, Kota would have face palmed himself, more pins meant more power, but how did Kota get this power? Perhaps more hand motions?

Kota's throat was dry, but now he saw the Noise were no longer hesitant, and started moving towards him with more purpose. Kota started to nervously flail his arm around again, hoping with sheer luck something would happen. The wolves were now at a sprint, and Kota started moving his hands more now, but it wasn't until his hand was up in the air and then came down that something happened.

One cue with the hand motion, Kota heard something crack and saw a one of the Noise move clumsily to avoid it, though it happened to quickly for Kota to see. Kota wanted to smile in relief. Remembering the last motion he did, he brought his hand back up, palm to the sky, and brought it back down to Earth. Kota saw it clearly this time, what could only be described as a small thunderbolt came down to the ground.

It was a wonder to see, but it didn't hit where Kota wanted it to. Kota brought his hand back up to try again. He visualized it clear in his mind where he wanted it to land, right on top of one of the Noise, and brought his hand down. However, Kota noticed that, like the wall of flame, as he brought his arm down, it was difficult to control, and the bolt of lightning landed a good two feet off target. Still, it was enough for the Noise to move away.

"Why won't any of this work how I want it to?!" Kota asked angrily.

"Look out!" Kota heard the girl scream and looked in her direction to be met with a claw right to the chest.

Kota barely had time to process what was happening when he was struck to the ground a few feet away. The Noise wasted no time and pounced to finish the job, "Get away from him!" The girl said holding up her arms in Kota's direction. A wall of light appeared between Kota and the Noise and the Noise was thrown back on contact, vanishing into static in midair.

The girl ran to Kota as fast as her little legs could take her and knelt at his side, "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

Kota was grunting in pain, that attack really hurt, but glad he wasn't erased just now. Perhaps having a partner made you take more damage? It made sense to Kota.

The chaos from the other teams of partners managed to take the attention of the Noise momentarily as Kota and the girl saw something shine in the pocket girl's frilly red dress. She reached in and withdrew a rather strange looking pin with silver diamond shaped spots against a pearly background. The pin shined and the girl put her free hand on Kota, causing him to shine as well. It lasted only a moment, and Kota instantly felt better, standing up with little effort.

Kota looked at the girl, trying to summon a smile, but all he had was dumbfounded wonder, "Thank you," he said, to which the girl chuckled a bit and smiled brightly before hugging him.

The happy exchange was cut short as a few more Noise that had appeared started sprinting at Kota and the girl. Kota did not hesitate this time, and brought his hand down on them. A lightning bolt came down, but it was still a few feet off target, and only served to deter the Noise before they quickly readjusted their course and kept running at them. _"They're acting more aggressively,"_ Kota realized.

Kota gritted his teeth and started calling down more bolts, but they were still too difficult for him to control and always missed their target. At least they successfully kept them at bay. But then on the tenth-or-so hand motion, no lighting bolt came down. Kota's heart sank and he looked at the pin. It had become dull and grayed out as well. Kota also noticed that the flame pin's colors were starting to return, but he was far too preoccupied that he had lost another line of defense.

Now in desperation, Kota kept bringing his arm down in the vain hope that his power would be restored. "Come on, work! Work!" he said in anger, but it was no use.

"Are you even trying?!" a somewhat familiar voice rang out.

Kota and the girl looked behind them and only Kota seemed to recognize the person. It was that boy with the guitar again. He was in full view, he was wearing a black leather vest over a dark red shirt which was badly torn in places, revealing parts of his abdomen, which made him appear somewhat muscular, more than Kota at least. His pants matched his vest in color and material and matched his shirt in that torn style, though it wasn't as revealing, which Kota was thankful for. On his wrists he wore a couple chain bracelets, too many for Kota's taste. His black tennis shoes with white laces completed the punk rocker look he was going for, and Kota would be lying if he said he didn't make it look good.

The boy's face was unchanged from the last time Kota saw him, it was still battle ready and without a smile. He held his guitar like a guitar instead of a sword this time, with a guitar pick in his right hand, which he raised high in the air, "Hit the deck!" he ordered.

Kota didn't ask questions, he grabbed the girl and forced them both to the ground. The boy brought the pick down and played a note on his guitar with volume that would only be possible with an amp, but none were around. As soon as the note was played, a shockwave of energy flew from the guitar in a horizontal wave and passed right over Kota and the girl and flew right at the Noise.

The wave hit all the Noise, but only seemed to knock them off their feet, to which the boy growled angrily, "Dammit! I guess it was beginner's luck the first time. I need more practice."

Kota had no idea what the boy was talking about, it did a lot more than Kota did, though he could relate to the remark about practice.

The boy wasted no time taking off the guitar and holding it like a sword again, and then with a battle cry, he charged right into the fray past Kota and the girl. The boy made it seem effortless in the way he combated the Noise, his glowing guitar striking each one, causing the weakened foes to vanish into static on impact. It was over in just over a minute, and the boy nonchalantly put the guitar strap around him and the guitar was on his back.

The boy helped Kota and the girl back up off the ground, "Thank you…" Kota said, feeling totally emasculated, this boy doing the job he failed to do in such a short time and with such ease.

"Yes, thank you mister!" The girl chirped happily, bouncing up and down. Then she balled her hands into fist and jabbed the air a few times, "We could've beat 'em though!" A playful moxie was in her voice.

For the first time, Kota saw the boy smile as he patted the girl's head, "You softened 'em up for me," he chuckled. Though his smile immediately faded and he looked to Kota, "What are you two still doing here anyway? Didn't you read the mission mail? It says get to the 104," he reminded Kota.

"I didn't get any mail," the girl said. Then it occurred to both boys that she probably didn't own a phone, yet there was still a timer on her palm. That seemed a little unfair to Kota.

Then Kota looked at his own palm, and the timer read just over forty minutes. _"Forty minutes?! Have we really been here for twenty minutes?"_ It amazed Kota how time seemed to fly by.

"That's ok," the boy said to the girl, then pointed to Kota, "He got the mail, so he'll tell you from now on." Kota noticed that whenever the boy looked at the girl his face softened a bit, but when he looked back at Kota, it became hardened again. Not cold or scornful, just more serious. The boy leaned in and whispered in Kota's ear, "I don't know how you two got partnered up, but she's your responsibility now. Don't fail her."

That didn't exactly lift Kota's confidence level. So far he had contributed nothing and this little girl seemed more competent than him.

The girl's chipper voice broke through again, as she extended her hand to the boy, "I'm Kiki," she said.

The boy smiled and shook her tiny hand, "Name's Riff," he said.

"'_Riff'?"_ Kota thought quizzically. Then it occurred to Kota that this was the first time he heard his partner's name. _"Kiki…"_ it seemed to fit to Kota, _"Cute little girl, cute little name."_ Kota extended his hand too, "My name's Kota."

"Nice names," replied the supposed 'Riff.' Suddenly, it was as if he had remembered something, "Come on! You have to go to the 104 building! We're trying to complete the mission and need all the help we can get!"

Kiki smiled confidently, "Don't worry! You can count on us!" Kota was glad she was confident; someone in their duo had to be.

Riff turned and started running back to the Scramble Crossing, "Well come on then!" He shouted behind him.

Kiki took off after him, but she couldn't run quite as fast. Kota ran to catch up with her and scooped her up into his arms. He slowed down a bit, but could still run faster than she could, she wasn't that heavy.

Kiki was surprised at first, but then started laughing. Kota kept Riff's guitar in sight as they traversed the Scramble Crossing and the 104 building came into view. Kota nearly ran right into Riff, who suddenly stopped. His heart sank when he followed Riff's gaze and saw the giant bear looming over the only path to 104.

Kota also noticed a girl facing off in front of the bear. By all definitions, she looked like a Goth She was wearing a black bunny parka, with purple accentuating the lining. She also had on bandage pants and platform shoes. It was as if she did all her shopping at Lapin Angelique.

"Melody!" Riff suddenly cried out running to the girl's side.

"Where the hell have you been, _Richard!_" she spat. "You said you'd only be a few minutes!"

_Richard? _Thought Kota. _Must be his real name, but why does he go by Riff? _He decided not to worry about it too much. There were bigger problem that required his attention.

"I had to get the other players here safely!" He retorted. "I just couldn't leave them to die!"

"Are you ready for this, Kiki?" asked Kota.

"I believe we can defeat it, mister Kota!" she said with a determined smile. For such a small child, she certainly had a lot of guts. Or maybe she was too confident for her own good? Kota decided he would watch her back no matter what.

Kota looked at his pins. The fire pin was still dull, but the colors were almost back to their full shade. The lightning pin was dull as ever. He wondered why they grew dull like that. All he had left was his pin with the blue and yellow fireball.

"I don't know how much help I'll be, it looks like I used up my best pins in that last fight," He said to Riff.

"Used them up? What are yo- Oh! No, pins can only be used for so long before they have to rest and recharge, then they're good to go again. Had to learn that through trial and error myself," he said with a grim smile.

"Oh, well good then…" said Kota, somewhat emasculated but also relived that he could keep using his pins. Regardless he decided now was as good a time as any to learn what the blue and yellow pin could do.

Kota looked around besides Kiki, Riff, Melody, and himself there were two other teams. One team consisted of a man in his late thirties, and a man who looked pretty down on his luck to put it kindly. The other team was made of a girl in a cheerleader outfit, and another girl whose taste in gothic clothing put Melody to shame. That put eight players against this monster of a Noise.

"All we have to do is take that thing out, right?" asked Riff.

"Looks that way, the timer is still counting down, so just being in the vicinity of 104 isn't enough, we have to get to the doors themselves. If only Yogi here would just move his fat ass," said Melody sarcastically. Her comment actually got a chuckle out of Kota. It was the first time he laughed since dying. He didn't regret it, but it seemed inappropriate somehow.

The cheerleader and the Goth were the first to make a move. The cheerleader suddenly vanished from sight. Kota managed to spot her teleport right above the bear Noise right before bringing her fist, which was glowing with powerful energy, right on top of his head. However, this only seemed to agitate the bear at best. He used his claw to send the cheerleader flying right into her partner.

"Crap!" yelled Kota. He raised a hand to the Noise, focusing all this thoughts on the fireball pin, which sent a yellow burst of pure energy at it. It flew like a bullet, and exploded when it made contact, however it didn't seem to be enough either to beat the Noise. He fired off eleven more, not paying much attention to the others, before the pin shut down to recharge.

He didn't doubt that by now his fire pin was ready to go, but he decided to step back and regroup with Kiki.

"How're you doing?" he asked when he got to her.

"Just fine, Mr. Kota," she said brightly. "You are so strong!"

"If only it were enough to stop this guy," he grumbled to himself. As soon as he said it, a wail unlike anything he had ever heard before came from Melody. A small amp had appeared behind her and was making her screams all the more powerful, it was actually enough to do some damage to the bear.

This only seemed to make it even angrier than before. How were they going to beat something this strong?

Suddenly the bear let out a roar that sent fear into the pits of Kota's soul, and leapt into the air. It brought down its claws on the two older men, who vanished in a burst of light. Kota's breath suddenly increased ten fold. He was facing potential erasure. He glanced down at his timer; they had less than ten minutes now.

"No, It's not ending like this!" he muttered. He looked at the lightning pin, it was back to full color. He focused all of his thoughts on it. It was a gamble at best, but it was the best chance they had. He wanted the lightning to straight through the bear's heart. He lifted his hand and kept his eyes on the spot he wanted it to hit. In a swift motion, he brought his hand down. There was a boom and crackle, and a flash. The bolt came down, rushing at the bear. In an instant it was over. The bear let out one last cry of pain before bursting in a flash of light, brighter than normal noise, possibly testimony for his strength.

Both Riff and Melody looked at Kota with looks of shock on their faces.

"Where did that come from?" asked Riff.

"Uhh, this?" said Kota showing him the pin. Riff burst into laughter. Then he cut himself off. "No time for this, we gotta get to 104!" Everyone basically sprinted for the building, trying to get to it before more Noise could show up. The second they got to the doors, the timer vanished leaving no trace, as if it was never there at all.

"Phew, Mission's cleared," Riff sighed in relief.

Kota leaned up against the wall, he looked down at Kiki who was smiling bigger then he had ever seen anyone smile before. He smiled back.

"One day down, partner," he said. Kiki giggled, leaving Kota to wonder how such an innocent little girl could get stuck in this situation. It didn't even seem possible. He looked up to see Melody standing there. She looked pretty expressionless, but that changed in an instant, completely throwing off Kota.

"Hi, sorry we were never properly introduced. I'm Melody, Riff's sister, and partner as well," She said brightly. Sister? So they must have both died together.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kota. This is my partner, Kiki," he said indicating Kiki.

Kota looked around, there were a total of six people at 104.

"Is this everyone that's still in the game?!" he asked, slightly panicking over that fact.

"I don't think so, there were plenty of people still in the game before we got to 104. No way they all got erased just now, I bet they're still out there. They'd better hurry though, we only had ten minutes left before ours disappeared. At least we cleared the way,"

A moment of silence passed before Kota spoke again.

"So why do you call yourself Riff?" he asked. "What does it even mean,"

"Well you know how some songs have quick little key changes, like a sudden string of notes out of nowhere? That's called a riff. Melody and I want to be musicians when we grow up, but it's hard for people to take a rock star seriously if he's named Richard, Riff just sounded cooler,"

"I see," he said. It made sense, he didn't question further.

They chatted about nothing in particular for about ten minutes before they all collapsed simultaneously, unconscious before they hit the ground.

* * *

It was a dim light Uzuki was met with as she opened the doors. "Dead God's Pad" was what the higher ranking Reapers called this room. _"Aptly named,"_ Uzuki thought, for though the private modern tavern was luxurious and stylish, something about it seemed deceased.

Uzuki made her way straight for the bar, at which only one man sat. In fact, other than Uzuki and the other Reaper, there was no one else in the room. She didn't sit down next to him, instead she stopped a few feet from it and cleared her throat to get the man's attention.

The man did not stand, instead turning his head slightly to acknowledge Uzuki was there, "Ma'am," he said quietly. He was a gangly man, with a slim chest and arms that, while in reality where perfectly proportional, seemed too long for his body, and legs that gave off the same quality. The man wore formal black pants and an elegant white dress shirt to match, but it was not tucked in, many of the buttons were undone, and the wrinkles in his clothes were apparent. He had a lean face, almost as pale as bone with dark stubble on his chin, and his blonde hair was past his shoulders and a few stray strands fell over his face, and it looked as though he needed a shower badly. Overall, he looked ill.

The man returned to his drink as Uzuki spoke, "Day One is over, the mission's been completed."

The man took a sip from his glass before turning his head again, "How many?" he asked.

"We started with twenty-four players, now eighteen remain."

The man looked down, sadness plain on his face. He finished his drink before standing up and violently smashing it on the ground and then buried his face in his hands.

"Control yourself Kanashii!" Uzuki ordered.

Some deep breaths could be heard from the man for a few moments before he looked up to see Uzuki, "Forgive me, ma'am," he said sadly, "I just cannot help but think of those poor souls. It almost moves me to tears. How cruel they must think we are."

Uzuki crossed her arms, "Kanashii, I made you Game Master for the week because you're efficient and at the end of the day, you know what the Game is really about."

Kanashii mustered the strength to stand, "I know," he sighed, "I will not disappoint you. I just wish this Game's noble purpose didn't come at such a steep price."

"We are here to run this Game so the Composer can decide who is worthy to live again. It is not our place to take that role for ourselves."

"Yes ma'am," Kanashii whispered, looking down in shame and gloom. He took a deep breath and looked back at her, a dried tear on his face, "I just express sympathy for them. However rest assured, this Game's purpose comes before everything else to me. I will weathered through whatever pain or sadness I feel to carry out that duty."

Uzuki uncrossed her arms, "Well said," she replied sounding pleased, "This game demands more of us, especially the higher your position is, " Uzuki turned and started walking away, "Let's hope that 'more of us' is for the better."

**A/N: Sorry this is a day late! But Happy Halloween! My gift to you is a longer chapter! Hope you liked it. Don't forget to like me on facebook TheKnightofAwesome?ref=hl**


	4. Chapter 4: The More You Know

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since my last update. life has been keeping me pretty busy. hope you all enjoy this!**

* * *

Kota awoke with a start. He took a moment to get his bearings. It looked like he was in the Scramble. He looked around further, and spotted Kiki. She was still asleep. He also saw Riff and Melody, both looked like they were just waking up as well. He scooped Kiki into his arms and walked over to where Riff and Melody were.

"Morning, guys," He said, somewhat sleepily. Riff looked up when he heard Kota's voice.

"Oh, you two are here as well?" he asked, it wasn't cold, just serious, and Kota could sense legitimate surprise behind his words. It was nice to see that it was pleasant surprise.

"Looks that way, but how did we get here?" he asked.

"The Reapers must have moved us here…but I don't remember going to sleep," Melody mused.

"But we haven't seen any Reapers yet." Said Kota.

"Do we even know what they look like?" asked Riff.

"I dunno, black cloak, scythe, skeleton?" said Melody.

"But what about Uzuki, wasn't she a Reaper?" asked Kota.

"I thought she said she was the 'Conductor' or something," replied Melody

"Yes, she is. But doesn't that just mean she's a head Reaper?" said Kota.

"I suppose. We'll have to meet a Reaper eventually right? So let's not worry about what they look like and more about how we're going to deal with them," said Riff. Just as he was saying this, Kiki began to stir in Kota's arms.

"Mmm, Mr. Kota?" she asked sleepily.

"Morning, Kiki" said Kota with a kind smile. He gently set her down, and she clung to his hand with one of her own, while using her other hand to wipe the sleep from her eyes. She yawned loudly.

"Did our job for today come in yet?" she asked.

"Not yet, we're still waiting for it." Said Riff. His tone had suddenly become softer and less businesslike when he addressed Kiki. Just then, their cell phones all went off at once. Kota opened his phone and read the text that suddenly came in.

Good morning Players,  
_I weep for the six poor souls we have lost. Alas, as my job dictates, I must weather through this sadness and press on. Your mission today is slightly more difficult: There are Noise possessing the troubled souls of the living on Cat Street. Draw forth these Noise and eliminate them, freeing those woe-bound souls. You have one hour. I wish the eighteen of you that remain nothing but success and I keep you in my prayers.  
_~The Game Master

As if it was perfectly timed, everyone jolted at once as a pain shot through their hands. Kota looked down to see the timer, counting down from sixty minutes.

"This is an interesting mail," said Melody.

"Yeah, we're supposed to buy that he's actually _sad_ about erasing those players?" said Riff incredulously. "What a load of bullsh-"

"Ahem!" scoffed Kota loudly, indicating Kiki with a subtle flick of his head. Riff's eyes widened and his faced paled a bit.

"Umm…Bull…uhh…Yeah I got nothing," he admitted with defeat.

"He's right though, why would this guy feel pity for us when it's his _job_ to end our existence?" said Melody. "I don't buy it one second,"

"I don't either, but for now let's just worry about the mission," said Kota. He looked over the mission again. Then when he spotted the location, his heart sank, and he felt his face go pale. His hands began to shake as well. Melody noticed this at once.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked crossing over to him, concern in her voice. Riff looked over as well. Kota looked up at her, shock still playing across his face.

"It's fine, it's just…this place, It's where I l-" he cut himself off for a moment. "It's where I used to live," he said. Saying the word "used" was harder than it should have been, as if just uttering it made Kota die all over again. It was just a grim reminder that he didn't need.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Melody. She reached out and gripped his arm comfortingly. Kota looked downward, hoping he'd be able to focus on the mission once they got there. Without another word to Melody he walked off towards Cat Street. Melody and Riff followed him, and Kiki kept pace at his side.

"What's wrong, Mr. Kota?" she asked innocently. "Why are you sad? Don't you want to see your family again?" Her words cut Kota like a knife, but he didn't show it. He had to keep himself together, to keep Kiki safe.

"Of course I do, Kiki," he said softly. "I'm just sad they wont see _me_,"

"Oh," She said finally understanding. "But don't worry, all we have to do is win this game and you can see them soon," Kota smiled, something about Kiki was making his depression go away entirely. He felt he might be able to face the challenge that was ahead of them.

"Thanks, Kiki" he said giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

They were walking past Cadoi City when Kota suddenly stopped. Melody and Riff stopped as well.

"What's wrong, Kota?" asked Riff.

"You mean you two haven't noticed it yet?" he asked. The others gave him a perplexed look.

"What do you mean, Mr. Kota?" asked Kiki.

"We'll we've been walking for about five minutes and we have yet to see any Noise, Doesn't that strike you as odd?" Kota pointed out. The others looked around. Looks of confusion played across Melody and Riff's faces.

"Yeah, I can't see any around here…where could they be?" Asked Melody.

"They must all be at Cat Street, yesterday must have just been a free for all," said Riff solemnly.

"Well that _is _what the text said…" mused Kota, "but still shouldn't we run into _something? _Even another player? Where is everyone?"

"They must have started in other places, or maybe they don't have the same mission as us?" said Melody.

"That's possible I guess, but unlikely. If they wanted to erase us, why would they separate us like that? Wouldn't it make more sense to get everyone in one area, or at least try to, and then take us all out at once?" said Riff.

Kota could only shrug, "Maybe they like the sport in it?"

"I'm sure we'll find someone else eventually," Kiki chimed in.

Riff sighed, "Well, we can't worry about this now, the clock is ticking."

Kota didn't argue. He pulled Kiki closer and the four of them began walking.

As they passed Towa Records, Kota saw Melody look toward the store and sigh. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"What? Oh. No, I was just reminiscing," she replied.

"You go there often?"

"Of course! It's probably my favorite music store in all of Shibuya!"

Kota couldn't help but smile. She just looked so happy, it was actually a little disorienting with her slightly gothic look. He spotted Riff smiling and looking at Towa Records along with Melody. The two of them must have gotten along great with their shared love of music.

Suddenly, a cold breeze washed over the back of Kota's neck, like icicles and on his spine. He turned around and saw that had felt the cold wind of the Underpass, the spot where he died. Kota's pace slowed, his hand loosened around Kiki's, and soon Kiki began leading him.

Kiki noticed and turned to him, "Mr. Kota?" She asked.

Kota looked at the small girl and summoned the best smile he could. "I'm fine," he said weakly.

Melody put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him as well, genuine concern on her face, "Are you sure? You look ill."

Kota managed to put more strength into his smile, "I'm fine," he said more convincingly. Kota exchanged a look with Riff. Riff had no concern on his face, just that same stern and serious look.

Finally Riff said something, but his face stayed the same, "Do you need a minute?" he asked. Kota could tell in the tone of Riff's voice that Riff knew exactly what was going on. Whether it was an educated guess on Riff's part or Kota made it painfully obvious to him, it didn't matter.

Kota regained his grip on Kiki's hand, "No, I'm fine," this time there was no question in his voice. The four of them kept walking and were out of the Underpass in no time, but Kota snuck one last glance back at the spot, and felt a pain on his chest, the spot where he was hit.

Riff took out his guitar and held it in that sword-like fashion again, "Stop," he commanded. The other three obeyed and Riff continued, "When we make this next turn, we're on Cat Street. That means that Noise could be ready and waiting to get the jump on us. Be on your guard."

Riff made an excellent point. Taking his advice, Melody, Kota, and Kiki took stock of their pins. Kota saw that Kiki was wearing three pins, the two pins she used from yesterday, and a new one that had a footprint emblazoned with what looked like violet flames. "What's that pin?" Kota asked, indicating the new pin.

Kiki followed his finger and perked up. "I found it in my pocket with my other ones this morning. I don't know what it does," she admitted.

That wasn't exactly comforting for Kota. Then again, he figured that they had better test out all their pins and figure out what they do. Kota reached into his pocket and withdrew six pins: The mind-reading skull one, the flame one, the lightning bolt one, the 'bullet' one, one with a white gloved hand on it, and one with what looked like a white arc paintbrush stroke. Kota figured he had better figure out what they each do. He began pinning them on, but when he pinned the fourth on, he felt a wave of weakness wash over him. He passed it off as nervousness and went to pin the fifth one.

Before Kota could finish, Riff grabbed his wrist. Kota jumped and looked up at him, "Only three," he said.

"W-what?" Kota asked, bewildered.

"You can only have three pins at a time, not counting the skull one," he said, pointing to his belt, which had three elaborately designed pins and the skull one like Kota's. "Anymore and they don't work, and you feel like crap, understand?"

Kota nodded and took two pins off. Kota left the bullet and flame one on, but was deciding on the third he should have. He was tempted to use the thunderbolt, but knew he should probably use this time to experiment with them. Kota decided on the white arc one and pinned it on his belt next to the other two. He finished by pinning the skull one on and indicated that he was ready.

Riff motioned for his partner, "Melody," he said. Melody walked to his side and the two cautiously rounded the corner.

"Kiki, stay close to me," Kota said. The two rounded the corner and were greeted with…nothing. There were no Noise, and from what they could see, no other Players. Just regular people milling about Kota looked at his palm, just over forty-five minutes. Had they come to the right place?

Riff and Melody looked just as perplexed, "Where is everybody?" Riff said, almost frustrated.

It had Kota confused, he had expected to be walking into the middle of a fight. The absence of this actually put him more on edge.

"About time someone showed up!" A new voice rang out.

The four turned, Kota and Kiki with surprise, Riff and Melody ready to attack. What they were greeted with was not a Noise, but a man. He was an adult man, on the slender side, with short black hair and wore black sunglasses on nearly the end of his nose, not even covering his eyes. Kota figured they were more for fashion than for function. He wore a white dress shirt with the sleeves folded up and tucked neatly into his black dress pants. A black vest completed his look. Kota figured he looked like a barista.

Riff was the first to speak, "Who are you?" he demanded.

"So bold!" the man replied, throwing his head back with a laugh. However, it was not a wicked laugh, it sounded actually happy, "Alright Boss, I'll give you the courtesy. The name's Hanekoma. Now you return the favor."

Melody, Riff, and Kota were hesitant. Kiki, on the other hand, didn't wait, "Hi Mr. Hanekoma! My name's Kiki!" She said waving. She might have actually run over to him if Kota was holding her hand tightly.

The man named Hanekoma advanced towards Kiki, and when he was at most a meter away from her, he got on one knee, "Sheesh, you gotta be the youngest player I've ever seen." He said with a polite smile, to which Kiki giggled in response.

Riff walked over and held his guitar so the body was at Hanekoma's neck, "Start talking. Who or what are you? A player? A reaper?"

Hanekoma closed his eyes and smiled, gently pushing the guitar away and calmly standing up, "I told you, the name's Hanekoma. And Neither."

"Neither?"

"Neither. Consider me more of a 'guardian.' Actually, maybe 'referee' would be a better term. I make sure everything is fair to the Players."

"That's awfully nice of you," Riff said, obviously unconvinced.

"Yeah! Thank you very much!" Kiki chimed, obviously convinced.

Riff sighed exasperatedly, "Alright then 'guardian,' how about you level the playing field for us?"

Hanekoma chuckled, "Sure, whaddaya need?"

Kota interjected, "The mission says get rid of the Noise 'possessing the troubled souls of the living on Cat Street.' Where are they?"

"Oh that?" Hanekoma laughed, "Just take a look around, notice anything weird about the people?"

The four looked around. At first, none of them noticed anything, but then Kiki broke the silence. "They all look so sad…" she said, slightly depressed.

Now that she pointed it out, the other three began to notice it as well. The atmosphere of the place was rather melancholy. "Woe-bound souls…" Kota said, quoting the mission, "Are the Noise doing this to them?"

"Bingo," Hanekoma said, "Imagine the thoughts that must be getting them down."

Kota picked up the hint immediately. He unpinned the skull pin and held it in his hand, concentrating. The blue hue appeared, darkening the colors of everything but Kota, Kiki, Riff, Melody, and Hanekoma, probably because of their involvement in the game. Kota noticed something else floating around other than the people's surrounding thoughts. Kota listened closely to it, and could only describe it as static. Curious, Kota focused a little more on it, and the static got louder.

When the noise got loud enough, the blue shade disappeared and a wolf-like Noise materialized out of thin air. Kota jumped and Kiki let out a yelp, hiding behind Kota. Riff was the first to react. Without hesitation, he ran at the Noise, glowing guitar in hand, and slammed it against the Noise, sending it backwards. Melody ran ahead of him and, as the Noise was getting to its feet, Melody sang a harmonious note with great volume, and the very air ahead of her seemed to shake. Melody's single note sent a circular shockwave crashing into the Noise, damaging the Noise further. Riff held his guitar like a guitar and then, in unison with Melody's singing, played a note with equal volume, sending a lateral shockwave at the Noise with Melody's circular one. The combined impact obliterated the Noise in an instant.

It all happened so fast that Kota had to replay it in his mind to process it.

Riff turned around and pointed his guitar at Hanekoma, "What did you do?" he demanded.

Hanekoma simply closed his eyes and shrugged, "Don't look at me," he said nonchalantly.

Kota spoke up, "Wait! I…I think I did that."

"What? How?" Melody asked perplexed.

Kota looked at the skull pin, "The skull pin, the one that lets you read minds, I think that's how I did it." Riff and Melody were obviously still confused, so Kota continued, "There's noise in the background, actual noise. I think if you focus on it enough, it draws the Noise out."

Hanekoma threw his head back and laughed again, "Exactly! Someone's a sharp tack!"

Kota looked at the depressed people again. He concentrated and the blue hue was up again. He focused on the depressed person a few meters in front of him. He heard the person's voice, but there was that same static over the voice, as if it was competing with the voice, trying to block it out. Before Kota concentrated on it too much, he looked away from the person and let go of his focus, the blue world fading away.

It clicked to Kota, and he looked over to Riff, "The sad people's thoughts," he began, "The Noise have them."

"I get it," Melody chimed in, "'Draw forth these Noise and eliminate them, freeing those woe-bound souls.' That should be easy, right?"

"We have a winner!" Hanekoma announced, "That's your mission then. Better get to it. You're on the clock after all.

Kota looked at his time. Thirty-nine minutes. That should be more than enough time.

Riff approached Kota, "Alright, now we know what to do, so let's get it done. Here's the plan: Melody will draw out the Noise from each person, then you and I will go to town on it. When Melody gathers herself, she'll help us out with the fighting."

"What do I do Mr. Riff?" Kiki asked curiously.

Riff looked at her and smiled, patting her head, "You'll give us support. Watch our backs with that shield. If anyone's hurt, you'll have to tend to them, ok?"

Kiki nodded excitedly and playfully saluted, "You can count on me Mr. Riff!"

Riff motioned for Kota to follow, and Kota did so. Melody positioned herself next to Kiki behind the two.

Riff leaned in and spoke quietly, "Listen, I don't know exactly what we'll be up against, so I need you pulling your weight. Yesterday was a lucky shot and we both know it,"

Kota looked down. He knew it alright.

Riff put a hand on his shoulder, but kept the same sternness, "Use this time to practice and experiment. We don't know how many times we'll get to do that."

"Are you two ready yet? We're waiting!" Melody rang out impatiently.

Riff gave her a thumbs up and Kota saw her start to concentrate. Kota looked around and counted. There seemed to be at least twenty people noticeably sad, so they were the ones probably possessed. Kota swallowed, he probably should have asked which one Melody was concentrating on.

Kota nearly jumped when three of the frog-like Noise appeared out of nowhere. Riff reacted with barely a delay and played a note on his guitar, sending out a shockwave that knocked the three Noise away from each other. Riff ran after one of them and began swinging away at it.

Kota focused on one getting to its feet and held out his hand, concentrating. Not a moment passed when the same yellow burst of energy erupted from his hand. It went through the air at a blinding speed and slammed into the Noise, sending it crashing into the wall. Kota couldn't help but smile, it actually connected. His face became more serious when he saw the Noise was still there. He held out his hand and this time it took little to no concentration to fire off the energy.

The Noise learned from its mistake and jumped out of the way. Kota grunted in frustration and fired more at it. The Noise dodged the first two but Kota caught it with the third, and it vanished in a small flash of light. Kota stopped and wanted to jump for joy. He did it. He actually did it. He actually took care of that Noise on his own.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kota managed to see the third Noise neither Riff nor he had focused on jump at him in attack. Kota turned to raise his hand at the Noise, but knew he couldn't move fast enough. Suddenly, a brightly lit wall appeared instantly between him and the Noise and it was thrown backwards.

Knowing the source, Kota looked at Kiki, who had both palms raised in his direction with a serious look on her face. That look faded instantly when she smiled and waved to Kota, "It's ok Mr. Kota! I'm here to help!"

Kota smiled and waved dumbly back. He was supposed to be protecting her, and yet she picked up on this fighting stuff faster than he did. He would've been erased on day one without her. He would have to improve fast.

Kota looked at the recovering Noise and didn't hesitate this time. He fired a burst of energy at it and it was gone. He heard Riff approach, "Nice moves," he complimented.

"I'm a quick learner," Kota replied as manly as he could. Clearly it wasn't much, as Riff simply laughed in response.

"Hey! You were supposed to save that one for me!" Melody told Kota.

Kota rubbed the back of his head, confused and for some reason embarrassed, "Uh, s-sorry. Won't happen again."

"Hey! Maybe they know what's going on!" A new voice rang out.

The four looked to see another group of four approach them. Kota recognized two of them, they were the cheerleader and the Goth girl from yesterday. So they must have been more players.

"Do you know how to do this mission? We haven't found Noise anywhere on Cat Street until we saw you fighting some just now," one of them asked.

Melody shoved Riff forward towards them, "Riff here will explain. Kota, you and I got the next group." Riff surrendered and went forward to explain and Melody walked in the other direction, dragging a confused Kota, "Move with purpose! We got a half hour to do this!"

Melody let go of Kota and motioned for him to pick out another 'woe-bound soul.' Kota completed the process quickly and two of the wolf Noise appeared. Melody wasted no time and began attacking, so Kota began firing energy bullets at the other one. The first hit, but not with the impact Kota desired, and the wolf shrugged it off and began running at Kota.

In a bit of a panic, Kota threw his other hand up, and the wall of fire made a straight line in front of him, making the wolf turn and run a different direction. Kota took a deep breath and chased after it, firing energy bullets as he went. After four of them missed their mark, the fifth hit the wolf's leg, causing it to trip and fall. Kota kept running closer and, when he got close enough, he braced his arm and sent the wall of fire directly at the Noise. When it made contact the Noise vanished in an instant.

Kota smiled confidently. Perhaps he was a quick leaner after all. Then he noticed the spot where the wolf Noise was defeated. In its place, Kota saw a pin. He walked over and picked it up to examine it. It was rather plain, and written on it was symbols meaning five-hundred yen. Was this thing seriously worth that much? Kota decided to just pocket it for now.

Melody ran over to him, "Nice shooting! Riff doesn't give you enough credit!"

Kota scratched the top of his head under his hat, "He doesn't think very much of me, does he?"

Melody tapped her fingers together, "Well…He just hasn't seen what you can do…" she admitted with guilt.

Kota looked down, ashamed, "Can't blame him for that I guess…"

Riff and Kiki approached the two of them, "That was great Mr. Kota!" Kiki exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"I explained the situation to the others and they're going to work. I suggest we do the same," Riff explained.

The other three nodded and got back into formation. The next group of Noise were two of the frogs and two of the wolves. Riff managed to get a wolf and frog together and started thrashing them. Melody claimed the other frog, so Kota was left with the remaining wolf. Kota managed to shake off hesitation now, and after unloading energy bullets at it until the pin dulled in color, he grunted as he pursued it on foot, leading the wall of fire as he went. The wolf attempted to get the jump on Kota by quickly turning and pouncing, but Kiki was there to knock it back with a shield. Kota finished off the bewildered wolf and regrouped with the others.

Kota noticed the other group of four were off fighting their own Noise. At least the work was getting done faster.

"We need to get this done faster," Riff said. Kota looked at his palm: twenty-two minutes. Kota looked at the people on the street. There must have been a little over a dozen of them left. Riff continued, "Kota, you and Kiki start taking them on your own, Melody and I will do the same. That way we can work twice as fast. Think you can handle that?"

Kota swallowed, "Yeah, I think so."

Kiki began jumping up and down, "Yeah! We can take 'em!"

Riff and Melody nodded and then ran off a little bit away. They summoned another group of Noise and began fighting them in an instant.

Kota and Kiki turned and, without Kota telling her, Kiki began focusing. Kota quickly got on his guard and two frogs and one wolf were summoned in front of them. Kota stepped between them and Kiki and sent the wall of fire at the Noise, causing them to scatter. Now that four groups were working at a time, it was starting to get a little chaotic. Kota, using the energy bullets, took care of one of the frogs. Kiki popped a shield whenever one of them got close to her or Kota, even if they didn't follow up with an attack.

Kota could hear Kiki breathing more heavily behind her, and then he heard her shout worriedly, "My shielding pin is grayed out!"

Kota called back to her, "It just needs to recharge! Just wait for it, ok?" Kiki nodded and took a step back from the fighting.

Kota finished off the other frog with an energy bullet and turned his attention to the wolf. He fired one bullet and then no more came. He looked and saw the bullet one was grayed out. He let out a small frustrated growl and sent the wall of fire toward it. Unexpectedly, the wolf dodged and pounced at Kota, knocking him off his feet and a few meters backward.

As Kota flew, he saw the fire pin fly away from him. When he landed, Kota tried to get to his feet and run towards it, but the wolf snarled and crushed the pin under its foot. Kota's heart sank, knowing the bullet one still had to recharge, he looked at his remaining pin. The white arc one.

The wolf almost smugly walked towards him as Kota frantically made all kinds of hand motions, trying to figure out what his only working pin did. Finally, when Kota made a closed fist, a light flashed in his hands, and the wolf jumped back a bit in surprise. Kota looked at it. It was almost like a solid beam of light roughly a foot long in his hand. Kota waved it around lightly and twitched in surprise when the beam of light extended each time he waved it around.

Kota looked back at the wolf when he heard snarling and it pounced him, intending to finish the job. Kota heard Kiki scream in panic and run towards him, but she couldn't possibly get there in time. Instinctively, almost in a panic himself, Kota swung the light at the wolf. The light extended to roughly three feet long as Kota swung it. The beam of light collided with the wolf and sent it flying away, vanishing when it hit the ground. Kota looked at the beam of light, now only a foot long when Kota didn't swing it. Kota understood now, this beam of light was like a sword.

By this time Kiki reached the grounded Kota and threw her arms around his neck, "Are you ok Mr. Kota!" she asked worriedly. She put her hands on his chest and a faint light shone from them and Kota felt better. Kota remembered the same sort of thing happened yesterday and looked at her other pin he recognized from yesterday. So that one must have been some kind of healing pin.

"Nice swinging," Riff said, walking towards them with his guitar on his shoulder, "That must've been the last one on the last 'woe-bound soul.'"

Kota and Kiki looked at their palms and to their delight saw that the timer was gone.

Melody laughed, "Mission accomplished I guess."

Kiki started laughing and cheering, "We did it! We did it!" She kept laughing as she helped Kota get to his feet.

Kota looked around and saw the other group of four lying down in the street further down, catching their breath, "Lucky they found us, huh?"

"I'll say," A familiar voice said. It was Hanekoma, and he was walking towards them. "Day two down, five to go."

Riff's face became stern again, "And where were you this whole time?"

"I told you, I'm just a referee of sorts. I can't get too far involved."

"Funny, that doesn't sound like a referee to me."

Hanekoma threw his head back and laughed, "True, maybe 'guardian' would be a better term after all." Then he put one of his hands in his pocket, the other one rubbed the back of his head. He looked at Kota, "Nice job, boss. Good reaction skills."

"U-uh, thanks I guess," Kota replied a bit flustered.

Hanekoma laughed again, "What happened to the warrior I saw a minute ago, boss? That only come out in battle?" Hanekoma quieted himself and continued, "Say, did you manage to see how much time was left on the timer?"

"A little over six minutes," Riff responded assuredly.

Hanekoma looked at his watch, "That doesn't leave much time then…" he saw the confusion of all but Riff's face and continued, "When however much time was left on the timer passes, the day ends. That means lights out."

"H-huh?!" Kota managed to choke out.

"So before you go, lemme pass some advice onto you: it can get a little scary down here in the UG. It can get pretty confusing too. If you wanna win, you gotta figure out what you're fighting for."

"Our entry fees," Riff suggested.

"That could be it, but you have to make sure."

Kota looked down, saddened a bit. "_What's my entry fee?_" He wondered. He couldn't think of what it was he was missing. Suddenly, Kota and the others felt weak. Kota could feel slumber begin to claim him, but before he was gone completely, he saw Hanekoma staring directly at him, smiling. Then all was black.

* * *

Standing on the rooftop of the 104 building was a man, a Reaper to be more specific, with the trademark black gothic wings on his back. He wore white shoes with jeans that had a hint of purple in them. On his belt line he wore a chain of cross-like symbols that hung down to his knees. Over his white sleeveless shirt he wore a sleeveless hooded sweater with ribcage design on it that was unzipped to his sternum. He had strange orange hair that flowed backward and upward, and the design seemed to be kept in place with curious x-shaped accessories lined up neatly in his hair. Most curious of all was that he held a lollipop in his fingers that was a dull red, the same color as his eyes.

The man looked from the rooftop at the people in the Scramble Crossing below. He seemed interested in them. His sightseeing was interrupted when another reaper appeared behind him. This reaper must have been roughly the same age, maybe a bit younger. His clothes were vastly more formal than his fellow Reaper. He wore a rather classy, if vibrant suit, a black undershirt was housed by a fire-red vest which was further housed in a black jacket with white stripes going down. His black pants matched his jacket with the same white stripes leading all the way down to his black shoes. His short brown hair was neatly slicked back and in front of his grey eyes sat rather thin glasses. To complete his look, and show his mark as a Reaper, were the same gothic black wings.

The suited Reaper looked serious and nervous at the same time as he stood up straight and spoke, "Sir! I have a report!"

The Reaper with the lollipop sighed and turned around, "For the last time Hansuke, you can just call me Kariya."

Hansuke somehow stood up straighter, "Yes si-Kariya! Won't happen again!"

Kariya chuckled, "Alright, so what's going on?"

"Well sir, uh, Kariya, the Players have successfully completed today's mission!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes sir!"

"Yes who?"

"Uh, yes Kariya! Sorry sir! Uh, I mean-"

Kariya held out his hand to stop Hansuke, "Ok, look," he began, a bit exasperated, "I understand this is your first game, and you wanna make a good impression. Plus, apparently I have a big of a reputation, so you _really_ wanna make a good impression. Believe me, I get that. But hey, loosen up! You're gonna work yourself to death at this rate. Just take it easy, no need to be so formal for my sake."

Hansuke, with a little difficulty, managed to slightly relax his shoulders, "I just want to make sure my first week is successful si-Kariya! …But I will try to be more relaxed…"

"That's better!" Kariya said, putting his lollipop closer to his mouth, but not tasting it. "Say, it's been a long day, how about we grab a bowl of ramen? Your treat!" He laughed.

Hansuke tensed again, "Of course sir! …Kariya! It would be my pleasure!" He said before turning and leading the way.

Kariya sighed and massaged his temple, "It isn't as fun if they don't resist paying," he said to himself before following Hansuke.


End file.
